Stories of the Inquisitor
by DrCan
Summary: Stories involving the Inquisitor and his companions as they roll through Thedas, causing mayhem and saving lives.
1. The Inquisitor Explains Stealth

"Inquisitor, I've been meaning to ask you for some time now, but how is it you're able to disappear like you do during our many spats." Dorian asked his Qunari leader as he, Cassandra, and Varric sat outside of Griffon Wing Keep, a small fire between them keeping the night at bay.

The Inquisition had taken the keep recently and were busy repurposing it for their own means. Tasshath Adaar and his group were there to make sure no Venatori returned to try and reclaim their lost stronghold.

"What are you talking about Dorian? I'm always right in the middle of the fight." Tasshath replied, scratching the stubble along his chin in confusion.

"Yes, I know that," Dorian said with an exaggerated sigh. "What I'm trying to understand is how you can go from dodging Venatori spells one moment, then appearing directly behind the mage, your blades sticking out of their back, the next. Not only that, but you're practically large enough to block the sun, you shouldn't be half as stealthy as you are."

"I'm not that big." Tasshath said with mock shyness, his grin breaking the visage quickly.

"Inquisitor, you are almost seven feet tall. Big is the only way to describe you." Cassandra said, joining the conversation with her usual bluntness.

"You would know all about his size, wouldn't you Seeker?" Varric said, raising an eyebrow to accentuate what he truly meant.

"Varric!" Cassandra yelled in embracement. Hers and the Inquisitor's romance was no secret, but it was new, and she had not yet gotten used to the occasional jabs from Varric and Bull. Tasshath, on the other hand, tended to enjoy them quite a bit, and laughed at Cassandra's discomfort.

"I see I cannot rely on my own lover to defend my honor."

Tasshath finished chuckling as he spoke. "Cassandra, if there is one thing you don't need, is me fighting your battles. Varric and I know firsthand what it's like to be on your bad side."

"'Aint that the truth." Varric mumbled to himself.

"To get back to our earlier topic," Tasshath said turning towards Dorian. "Being a good rogue isn't just about quiet footsteps, proper dagger placement, and incredible good looks. It's about planning ahead and being where your enemy least expects you to be." As Tasshath finished his statement he threw down one of his many smoke bombs.

The group jumped back in surprise, readying their weapons and spells, expecting an attack that never came. When the dark cloud was finally blown away, the Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen.

"Haha, I see." Dorian said as he looked around, trying to spot where the Inquisitor was hiding. "Classic misdirection. A ruse that many have fallen for I'm sure, but it won't work on me." Dorian spoke with confidence, expecting the Inquisitor to try and sneak up on him. He prepared a small ice spell to give Tasshath a very uncomfortable caser of freezer-burn, in case he did jump out at him.

Tasshath's voice floated in from Dorian's right. "Oh, I don't know friend. This ruse has worked on Tevinter mages before."

"Not on this one I'm afraid. Ha!" Dorian yelled as he threw his hand at where the voice had come from. His spell shot off, his aim perfect, going exactly where he believed the Inquisitor to be.

He waited to hear a yelp of surprise, but was disappointed when no such noise was made.

"Oh, that spell looked nasty." Tasshath's voice said, now coming from Dorian's left. "If it had hit me I might have been concerned. Lucky your aim is as bad as Sera's cookies. Allow me to retort."

Dorian tensed up and began spinning from right to left. Doing his best to keep the fire at his back, making sure he had as few openings as possible for the Inquisitor to strike at.

Varric and Cassandra had been amusedly watching the battle between the two, waiting for the Inquisitor to show off his skills and torment Dorian in whatever way he could. What they did not expect, was to be tormented themselves.

Cassandra gave a loud yelp, pulling Varric and Dorian's attention as she jumped in the air, both hands covering her pinched bottom."Tasshath! You just goosed me!" Her voice a mix of anger, surprise, and embarrassment. Her lover's laugh could be heard all around their camp.

Before Varric could let go with clever comment, a wooden bucket materialized over his head, covering his gaze and muffling his own surprised noise. He battled with the bucket briefly before he tripped over his bedroll and fell onto the ground.

As he lay on his back he calmly pulled his new helmet off. "I suppose that was for my earlier comment, wasn't it Tash?" He said towards the starry sky.

"I didn't want Cassandra getting the idea I wouldn't protect her when the time came."

"If you think that will get you off the hook for what you just did, you will be very disappointed." Cassandra wasn't sure where to direct her voice, so she focused on the fire. It popped and crackled in time with her anger.

"Hopefully you aren't that mad at me, we are still sharing a tent." Tasshath's voice said from somewhere around them.

While the others had been talking, Dorian had been listening and watching very closely. He was determined not to be shown up, and focused intently on finding exactly where Tasshath was.

Dorian spotted movement around a nearby rock outcropping. He kept his gaze on the rocks, using some of his magic to cut away at the darkness around them. With his vision enhanced he saw the ram like horns that sprouted from the Inquisitor's skull, poking out from behind one of the jutting stones.

Dorian moved slowly towards the rock, his spell at the ready, talking along the way to mask his footsteps. "I have to admit, I never doubted your skills before Inquisitor, but now I truly am impressed. Pulling pranks and grabbing asses? Let the enemies of the Inquisition beware."

Dorian was no more than a few feet from the rock now. "Of course, the same could be said for me. I'm not so arrogant that I won't learn from my mistakes."

"Dorian, I'm proud of you." Tasshath's voice said, coming from the rock and bolstering Dorian's confidence. "Now what say we finish this up? I'm getting a little tired."

"I agree completely Inquisitor. Now, this should only sting for a little bit." Dorian jumped around the rock and blasted the horns with his spell. The horns flew into the air, and, for a brief moment, Dorian feared he had removed the Inquisitor's head.

He quickly realized that what he had hit was not the Inquisitor's horns, but an actual pair of ram horns. They were attached to a leather helmet that had been placed on top of a stick, stuck in the sand. What he had taken for Tasshath's breathing, was in fact the wind, pushing the helmet back and forth.

"By the Black Divine." Dorian cursed as Tasshath rose from the sands and lifted him up in a crushing bear hug. Cassandra and Varric began laughing as they saw Dorian embraced in the Qunari's large arms.

"Does that answer your earlier questions?" Tasshath asked as he released Dorian, much to the mage's relief.

"Yes, you've proven quite well that your size does not hinder you. Do tell though, how did you accomplish all that?"

Tasshath gave Dorian a wink then walked back to camp. Cassandra met him halfway and punched him, hand still within her metal gauntlet, on the arm. He gave a cry of pain, and started rubbing the spot with his hand. Varric's dying laughter renewed after seeing the exchange.

Dorian dusted the sand off his clothes and muttered to himself. "Rogues."


	2. Where's Cole

"May the Maker praise the Inquisition." The mayor spoke reverently towards the Inquisitor and his companions. They had finished clearing out a group of Red Templar from the area, insuring the safety of the small village.

The Templar had only been a few dozen strong, a force that proved little challenge for mercenary captain Iron Bull, Fade traveling mage Solas, living spirit Cole, and the Inquisitor Adaar.

"It wasn't a problem. Please remember the Inquisition if you ever have another Red Templar infestation. We've always got a team ready to clear out those pesky troublemakers."

"Of course, and if we can ever support your cause, let us know. We would be happy to help."

"That is most kind of you." Solas said.

She looked at the Elf with a small smile, though doing her best to avoid his gaze. There were plenty of stories and superstitions about elves that persisted in the area, and she did not wish to tempt fate.

"Of course ser. It is the least we could do for our saviors." At that she bowed her head and hurried away.

"Nice lady." The Bull's deep voice rumbled as he watched the woman leave.

"Yeah," agreed Tasshath, "Could have offered for us to stay the night though. I was really hoping to stay inside tonight."

"Can't get everything you want boss. We have anything else to do in the area?"

Tasshath pulled out a letter from his pack and quickly read it. "Apparently there is an old chevalier that had a prized family heirloom stolen by Templar. We agreed to get it for him."

"Ugh," the Bull grunted. "When are we going to stop doing all these recovery missions. I'm here to kill things, not pick up people's lost trash."

"I'm afraid I agree Inquisitor. There are several open rifts that we should focus on closing, before we begin the search for this man's lost weapon." Solas said.

"Hey, we said we would do it, so we have to do it." Tasshath replied, defending his decision. "I'm just glad one of you will support me. Right Cole?"

The Inquisitor was met with silence. He looked behind him, wondering why the helpful spirit wasn't responding, and realized that he wasn't with them at all.

"Where's Cole?" Tasshath asked his remaining companions. The two looked around briefly, surprised at themselves for not having noticed his disappearance.

"I...I'm afraid I didn't notice him leave." Solas said, a note of concern slipping into his voice. Iron Bull merely shrugged at the Inquisitor's question.

Tasshath placed his hand to his face and sighed into it. He wasn't afraid for Cole's safety, but what he might get up to.

"Okay," he said. "We need to find Cole quickly. He's probably somewhere in town trying to help the people out with their problems. We'll split up, and return back here in one hour. Got it?"

"Sure boss. All we've got to do is follow any weird shit happening around town, can't be that hard." Bull spoke with confidence, thinking that this task would be over soon. Tasshath didn't feel the same.

The group broke off, each heading in a different direction. Bull headed towards the marketplace, Solas focused on the outskirts of town, and Tasshath walked though the residential areas, hoping to spoke their illusive friend.

* * *

><p>The Iron Bull was first to discover a clue to Cole's whereabouts. Walking though the market, and ignoring the many stares he got, he noticed a lone child. Everyone else simply walked past her, not even sparring her a glance. She had a look of confusion, while her shirt was stained with recently shed tears, and her body still shuddered with a the aftershocks of a strong cry.<p>

He knelt down to get eye level with the girl. Bull had little experience with children because of his upbringing. As a member of the Qun he was kept with children of his own age, and was never required to interact with anyone younger than himself.

"Hello little one," he said with the softest grin he could muster. "You look like you're having some trouble."

She gave a small sniffle and looked at the large, grey skinned man, speaking to her. Like most children her age, she did not register their differences, and only saw someone that was trying to help.

"I lost my kitty today. She ran off and I tried to chase her, but I wasn't fast enough."

"I think I can help with that. Tell me, do you know where your kitty might be?"

She rubbed her sleeve against her shirt, wiping away some of the refuse from her earlier tears. "I don't know, but I remember a blonde man saying she went that way." The child pointed into the village, towards where the Inquisitor had gone.

"Well child, I think I can help you with that. How about I give you lift?"

The girl looked from side to side. "My mommy told me to watch out for strange men."

Bull gave a small laugh and lifted the child up, placing her between his shoulders as she squealed in sudden excitement . She held onto his horns, while he kept a hand on her back to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"Don't worry kid, with me around, no stranger come near. Now let's find your kitty." He said as he began walking towards where she had pointed earlier. Letting the girl direct his movements as she pushed and pulled on his horns.

* * *

><p>Solas, on the other side of town, decided to use his Fade traveling talents to try and find Cole. He found a secluded spot in the nearby woods and used his usual spell to travel into the Fade.<p>

In the Fade, Solas could find spirits and humans alike. If a human was asleep, he could follow them through their dreams, learning along the way parts of their history. Currently his focus was on a wave of calm or serenity in the Fade, a sure sign that Cole had passed through recently.

Recently his trips into the Fade had been marred by Corypheus' actions. Every time he had entered since the Darkspawn's actions there were spirits running rampant, the very fabric of the fade strained by what he was trying to do. No longer was Solas able to journey through and speak to spirits as he had before, now it was like stepping unto a burning ship as the rats tried to flee.

As he walked through the Fade, visiting all over the fade shrouded village, he chanced upon a group of homes that each held a strong wave of contentment.

As he moved towards the homes, his own senses were flooded with the sensation of calm. Each person had been touched by a force that had belayed their fears and worries, and allowed their hurt to flow away.

An old warrior was relieved of his survivor's guilt, a pair of parents were able to accept their children's choices, a woman no longer feared that her husband would leave her for another, and many more kindly interventions were held. Cole's influence washed over the town's inhabitants like a wave, and had begun to affect Solas as well.

Where normally he would have been concerned with the dangers a spirit like Cole could face, his worries had been assuaged. It was a pleasant feeling, but did not detract from his mission.

Solas followed the trail, and was elated to find that it led him to the bright green glow of the Inquisitor's mark. He quickly returned to his body, and rushed towards where Tasshath was.

* * *

><p>Tasshath moved from house to house, looking for any sign of Cole. If what he did in Skyhold was to be an example for future actions, than Tasshath expected to find people with memory loss, animals acting strangely, and a surplus of burning vegetables. What he found instead was the most shocking.<p>

Cole sat on a bench, in the middle of a large courtyard. Houses all around him, with people milling about their business, as he was sat with a small cat on his lap. Cole was busy petting the animal, and even from a distance it was obvious the cat was more than happy to receive his affections.

"Cole, are you alright?" The Inquisitor asked cautiously, not sure what to make of the current situation.

Cole looked up from petting the animal, looking Tasshath in the eyes. "Ah, you found me. I was wondering who would find me first. I'm glad it was you."

"What's going on Cole? Why did you disappear on us?"

"I didn't disappear, I've been here the whole time. Helping people, speaking to them. Whispered words wiping away worries, helping heal them. Preventing pain from prevailing."

The Inquisitor decided not to explain what he meant by disappear, and sat next to Cole on the bench instead. Reaching over he scratched the kitten behind it's ears, and was rewarded with a purr.

"That's a nice cat you got there. It's a big responsibility though, are you sure you're ready for it?" Tasshath asked sarcastically.

''This cat isn't for me, it's for her."

"Her who?"

Just as he finished asking his question, Bull entered the courtyard from one of the side streets, a small child sitting on top of his shoulders. The two of them were hooting and hollering, laughing at jokes only they knew.

They reached the pair on the bench and the child quickly yelled in joy at seeing her pet. Bull gently let her down to rush towards the animal, held in Cole's outstretched hands.

Cat in arms, she turned back towards Bull. "Thanks for bringing me to Mister, mister Bull. I hope you have fun fighting those bad monsters and dragons!" She ran up to him and gave his leg a quick hug, a real feat while also holding a cat, then rushed off back home.

Bull yelled out to her fleeing form. "No problem Imekari. Don't lose your pet next time!"

"I never knew you were good with kids Bull." Tasshath said with a grin. "I thought a proper Qunari like yourself wouldn't know what to do with them."

Bull registered what he had just said and looked slightly embarrassed. "Yeah well, you learn some stuff living outside the Qun. It was kind of nice talking to her, gives a guy perspective."

Tasshath spared a sideward's glance at Cole, who remained looking at Bull, as realization began to dawn on him. While the gears of his mind finished turning, Solas came into the courtyard, out of breath from running.

He found his companions together at the bench and allowed himself to catch his breath. As he did, Tasshath began to speak.

"How did you find us Solas?"

"I checked the Fade..." a heavy breathe interrupted his explanation. "There was a path of calm that led me here."

The Inquisitor nodded. "Tell me, how do you feel now compared to before you entered the Fade?"

Solas stopped and thought for a moment. "I feel better, honestly. Earlier I was concerned with the increasing number of rifts, but now it doesn't seem to bother me as much." He looked towards Cole. "You did this, didn't you?"

"You all have worries and fears that bother you. I wanted to help you, as well as the people here...Is that okay?"

"You're good people Cole, don't let anyone tell you different." The Inquisitor said, patting Cole on his back.

Cole looked at Tasshath confusedly. "I'm not people, I'm just me. I also can't control what people say, if I could, then that would mean a possession. I don't want to possess anyone."

"It's a figure of speech Cole."

"Ooohh," Understanding danced in front of Cole's eyes for just a moment. "I don't get it."


	3. A Competition Between Friends

The Inquisitor stood on top of a hill, overlooking the various valleys and mountains along the Storm Coast. As was the norm, rain was coming down lighter than usual, but that just meant it was a sheet or rain instead of a complete downpour. Tasshath often wondered how the region hadn't flooded away.

Their reason for being on the Coast was one that had deeply concerned the Inquisition's Grey Warden, Blackwall. Darkspawn had begun pouring out of the area. They were harrying Inquisition scouting teams enough that the region had gone almost completely dark.

The Inquisition used the Coast to reach the Free Marches, and not being able to keep it clear of Darkspawn was stopping them from sending agents and trading with North. The Inquisitor had picked Blackwall, along with Sera and Vivienne, to help with the task of clearing them out.

"I would take another breach in the sky if it would stop raining here. Even for just one day." Tasshath said, feeling the water soak through his armor and freezing his skin.

"Yeah, this place is shite. Give me a city any day. None of this trees and water bullocks. Way to elfy ya ask me." Sera agreed in her thick accent.

"You think this is too elfy?" Tasshath said, giving Sear a surprised look. "Have you even been to the Emerald Graves?"

"Ooohh right, forgot about that place. Still sucks here though."

"No argument from me."

Blackwall and Vivienne came around from the other side of the hill where they had been looking for the Darkspawn. While Blackwall moved with purpose towards the Inquisitor, Vivienne acted aloof and uninterested. Her normal attitude after being around Blackwall for any period of time.

"Well Inquisitor, there's no doubt about it. Darkspawn are living in that cave." The gruff man said, pointing towards a large hole in the side of a nearby mountain. "We should move in quickly, clear them out, then shut off whatever hole they crawled out of."

"I didn't know you ran the Inquisition now darling. That's quite a step up from living in a barn and keeping company with horses." Vivienne's voice sounded cheerful, but her words were meant to cut Blackwall down.

Sera moved to stand behind the mage and began making several rude gestures with her hands. Tasshath held a small smile, but prepared to break up the fight brewing between the other two.

"I meant no disrespect Inquisitor, but when it comes to Darkspawn, I fully believe my knowledge is best suited for the job." He turned to eye Vivienne. "If you're so against my advice, _my lady,_ you can deal with the Darkspawn alone." Like most warriors, Blackwall was to the point and without fear of consequences.

"Oh darling, that is so adorable that you think to insult me."

"Okay," Tasshath said, using his body to separate the two from one another. "Enough arguing. Blackwall, in these kinds of matters I'm alright with deferring to your judgment, so I don't want to hear another 'sorry' out of you. Vivienne, I know you don't like it, but are you really willing to ignore the advice of a man who's sole purpose is to battle the very monsters we're up against today?"

She put her hand up, recognizing the wisdom of Tasshath's words. "It's fine for now, I just want to make sure he knows his status in our ranks."

"Don't you worry about that. I know exactly where I stand." Blackwall spat back at her.

Tasshath rolled his eyes. "Good, I'm glad we're all friends again. I'd ask you two to kiss and make up, but the last thing I want to deal with is fighting a Darkspawn den with you two already dead." Sera made a loud 'Ha,' at the jab.

* * *

><p>The group walked up to the cave entrance, passing several desecrated bodies. Some bore the symbol of the Inquisition on their tunics and shields. Inside the cave proved even worse than its entrance, and everyone prepared themselves for a fight they knew was soon approaching.<p>

Darkspawn threw themselves at the group, at first in small numbers of hurlocks and ghouls, but as the group pushed deeper into the cave, the waves grew larger. This gave the Inquisitor an idea.

"Hey, Blackwall. I bet you twenty sovereigns that I can kill more Darkspawn than you."

"You want to go up against a Grey Warden in a Darkspawn killing contest?" Blackwall asked with slightly veiled shocked.

"Sure, I can kill stuff as well as anyone." Tasshath shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. "No reason you should be better at it."

"Come on Beardy, don't let Hornhead here beat you!" Sera yelled from their back ranks.

Tasshath turned back, looking at Vivienne. "You want to get in on this bet as well Vivienne?"

"I wouldn't dream of competing darling. Though if I have to back someone, I'll be placing my faith in you. Please show this backwater warrior what it means to be a proper combatant."

"Well Blackwall, we've got our audience, you think you're up for the competition?" Tasshath sneered at his friend, hoping that it came off as friendly as it felt.

Blackwall eyed the Inquisitor's smug look, matching it with his own grin. "Alright Inquisitor, if you want a fight, you've got one." He put his hand out to cement the deal, and Tasshath grabbed hold and shook it furiously.

The pair entered deeper into the cave, their female companions following behind them far enough not to draw any attention from attacking Darkspawn.

When the underground menaces did start attacking, the two competitors showed off their stuff as best they could. Blackwall's strategy was to draw in as many as possible, and strike them down one by one as they tried to pry his shield and armor off.

Tasshath took an opposite approach, and used his skills to annihilate Darkspawn as they showed up, doing his best to keep from being trapped in one spot. He rarely spent more than a few seconds on each target, doing his best to end them quickly and move on.

The pair battled through the horde for what felt like an eternity, but in actuality may not have been more than an hour. By the end they were exhausted, their weapons and armor covered in whatever constituted as Darkspawn blood.

As Vivienne covered up the large hole in the ground that the Darkspawn had been using to escape the Deep Roads, Tasshath asked for a head count.

"I got five." Sera said, twirling an arrow between her fingers.

"Three for me." Vivienne said, straining to move the large stones in place and block the Darkspawn from ever returning to the surface.

"I think you should go first Inquisitor." Blackwall said, leaning against his shield to catch his breath from the long fight.

"I had twenty-three Blackwall. Hope that number isn't too high for you." Tasshath boasted, equally as tired but twice as confident as Blackwall.

The Warden chuckled at the Inquisitor's response, as if remembering something quite funny. "Not bad, not bad at all. Can't say it was good enough though. I had twenty-nine fall under my blade."

"By the Maker's grace! I lost!" The Inquisitor yelled, smacking himself on the forehead.

Sera jumped in the air at hearing Blackwall's victory."Nice Beardy! You're buying the first round tonight, yeah?"

Pulling out his coin pouch, Tasshath began pouring coins into his hand. "How many sovereigns was it? Fifteen, right?"

"I believe it was twenty Inquisitor." Blackwall said with his hand outstretched. His beard twitched into a shape that might have been a smile.

"Oh, right. How silly of me." The Inquisitor cursed internally, as he was forced another twenty sovereigns away from the comfort of the deluxe Orlesian bed he had wanted for the past several weeks.


End file.
